The Observation Deck

I believe we all should know by now that there was alleged money laundering with the hospital deal. What can City Hall do? What can the citizens of Lakewood do? I believe the right question should be, what would the Federal Bureau of Investigations do? Hmmm.

Corey Rossen wrote:...and make the same people go through and do the same process all over again, thus delaying progress of Lakewood for a lengthy amount of time...still with no one else stepping in to bid on the hospital.

Let's see.

CCF paid $9.6M

Lakewood got less than $22M for its asset worth $180M.

And you are worried about "delaying" this result?

Nobody was ever asked to bid on the $180M. Nobody.

And you want to move "forward" with this result?

The process sucked.

And you want to repeat the sucky process?

I'm sorry, but that is going backwards.

Why do you want to avoid accountability?

Why do your run from the State Audit?

Actually, you want to repreat the process - the one you claim is so bad.

Here is where the conversation will end again, as always. I will ask you questions uand you will not answer. Your gang will call me boring and jump in here to deflect the conversation. Okay, now that is has been set up, here goes.

What is the plan?
Do you plan to file suit against the city (and others) and how long will that process take to pan out?
What hospital, since no one wanted it now, is going to step in after you have sued everyone, delayed progress for years and built up animosity towards the hospital and city?
Who will be conducting the next bidding process?

I know, it gets boring hearing the same questions over and over (it's even worse having to ask them over and over) so maybe this time you will actually answer them. Most likely, as in the past, it will go down just as I stated before.

"I'm rubber, you're glue. Everything you say bounces off of me, and sticks on to you." Albert "Rossen" Einstein

Accountability my friend. Think accountability.

Think about the sick children you want to stay sick because they took $100M+ away.

So what happens when you lose the lawsuit after how many years of delayed progress? Where will Lakewood healthcare be at then?

Keep in mind - Essi involved lawsuits are 0 - 3. The Browns will end up with a buyer record than you.

Oh, yeah. You didn't answer anything. As expected. Now that is accountable.

Corey Rossen wrote:So what happens when you lose the lawsuit after how many years of delayed progress? Where will Lakewood healthcare be at then?

Keep in mind - Essi involved lawsuits are 0 - 3. The Browns will end up with a buyer record than you.

Oh, yeah. You didn't answer anything. As expected. Now that is accountable.

I'm sorry, you can't answer the questions.

I am only involved in one lawsuit an I am winning---Mr. Butler had to hire high priced legal counsel--all paid for by insurance---no cost to tax payers.

The other two lawsuits are still pending--the truth is prevailing in all three. Justice takes time---Where are Russo and Dimora and how long did it take to make them pay?

We have answered all your questions over, and over and over again.

Your failure to answer the simple questions is telling.

Go!

Essi every time he is posed a question....you are too predictable.

Brian Essi wrote:"The concept underlying the definition of the financial reporting entity is that elected officials are accountable to their constituents for their actions. Because one of the objectives of financial reporting is to provide users of financial statements with a basis for assessing the accountability of those elected officials, the definition of the financial reporting entity should be based on accountability." Governmental Accounting Standards Board.

So why is City Hall running from their CAFR (audit)?

Because it shows they failed us.

They must be held accountable.

Bullock's and Anderson's "accounting" bastardize the true governmental audit (the CAFR).

Vote Against 64! Make them accountable.

So why is City Hall running from their own audit?

Summers, Pae and 6 of 7 City Council members (excluding only Dan O'Malley) have all backed the alleged Voters for Progress that has made claims that are wildly different that their Audit (CAFR).

That's running 180 degrees away from accountability.

They haven't given their sock puppet spokesman Rossen any answers--they appear to be running scared.

The Browns lost again, still 0-for. Maybe next year, right Essi.

"The concept underlying the definition of the financial reporting entity is that elected officials are accountable to their constituents for their actions. Because one of the objectives of financial reporting is to provide users of financial statements with a basis for assessing the accountability of those elected officials, the definition of the financial reporting entity should be based on accountability." Governmental Accounting Standards Board.

So why is City Hall running from their CAFR (audit)?

Summers, Pae and 6 of 7 City Council members (excluding only Dan O'Malley) have all backed the alleged Voters for Progress that has made claims that are wildly different that their Audit (CAFR).

That's running 180 degrees away from accountability.

They haven't given their sock puppet spokesman Rossen any answers--they appear to be running scared.

The Browns lost again, still 0-for. Maybe next year, right Essi.

Robert Bobik wrote:Is a vote against 64 a vote to remove the non-compete clause? That is reason enough there. Removing the non-compete clause opens up the avenues of interest by others.

That is true Robert. The non-compete clause or the "restrictive covenant" (as lawyers like to say) is repealed when the ordinance is rejected by Lakewood's citizens.

That in itself is worth VOTING AGAINST THE ORDINANCE IN ISSUE 64!

Even using Anderson and Bullock's $128 million low book value from Lakewood Hospital, the admission the city only got $22M, that leaves $106 M unaccounted for.

Why isn't this loss reported of the audit (CAFR)?

hmmm

"That is true Robert. The non-compete clause or the "restrictive covenant" (as lawyers like to say) is repealed when the ordinance is rejected by Lakewood's citizens.

That in itself is worth VOTING AGAINST THE ORDINANCE IN ISSUE 64!"

I have been speaking to many people about this issue. This particular point almost always makes people pause. I have seen conversations about who instituted/asked for this feature. I don't care how it came to be, it hamstrings any negotiations.

Open it up, simple.

Vote against Issue 64.

Even using Anderson and Bullock's $128 million low book value from Lakewood Hospital, the admission the city only got $22M, that leaves $106 M unaccounted for.

Brian, forgive me, I'm sure you've probably printed these numbers for us before. But lately I've been wondering how you account for the $90M of renovations the hospital required to continue to be serviceable/safe whatever. If you take $90 from the $128, you are left with $38 which is not far from the $22M that we "get". I'm not suggesting that you haven't accounted for it, just can't remember where that $90M is reflected in your numbers.

I also want to say that I don't understand how voting against 64 holds the mayor or anyone else accountable. All it does is prevent the city from continuing with the deal as currently configured, correct? It doesn't call for Mike Summers to stand up and tell everyone he's sorry and let SLH throw eggs at him, does it? I am generally in favor of repeal, but I am constantly forced to re-evaluate. I don't understand what the ramifications of destroying the deal are. I don't think anyone with SLH or Brian Essi really knows either. And that's the problem, same as it was last time. On one hand you have a plan from the mayor, great or terrible, in the other hand you just have the opposition just saying don't do what the mayor figured out.

By now everyone knows that hospital is shut down, the medical building across the street that had other peripheral services is about to be demolished (and that whole building was screwed up and neglected in the run up). I think the best we could do is sue CCF for breach of contract and get some money from them, but then we still have these three abandoned buildings to deal with (the hospital, doctors office building, and parking structure). I guess SLH would like me to believe that someone will come in and give us more than 22 million for all of that (though I don't actually believe that is the number).

I guess we'll find out what happens on November 8th, with the vote at least. If 64 goes down, then we get a few more years of hand wringing and financially uncertain and dangerous negotiation with, most likely, non CCF entities, right? If it passes, we are out many 10's of millions of dollars but we end up with a FHC, but that is not in any way guaranteed to stay open for any amount of time, right?

Also, can someone remind me which of the mayor's friends are getting contracts/money? I never seem to hear that part. Is it construction people or something? Because, honestly, that's why you elect a businessman to political office, so that he can use his business acumen (I know you all feel he is a terrible businessman) and his contacts to get things done. I don't think Summers' keeps a lot of business friends that were used to ripping him off, so that story doesn't really ring true to me. But again, I can't even remember who you all claim is doing the laundering. Maybe it's only Lori that claims that even though she always starts the sentence with "by now, we all know... alleged laundering". No Lori, seriously we don't all know Who is laundering the money for summers? Laundered money starts with some illegal money that needs to get turned into legal money somehow. I don't see where CCF or the City of Lakewood would obtain such illegal money. Certainly not from the hospital deal right? All that $ will be scrutinized 10 times over. It's not even done yet and there are civil suits. Maybe CCF has a thug in their parking lots shaking people down? Or maybe they have been robbing Wells Fargo trucks that drive down Belle Ave?

So many endless questions. Even when they are answered, they really aren't. I can only imagine how city council and the mayor felt trying to find their way through this.